Even if your feet hurt during the day, most foot pain sufferers expect to experience some relief when they lie down for the night. Unfortunately, some conditions continue to nag at you while you try to sleep. Here are three of the worst nighttime foot pain culprits:

Peripheral Neuropathy:Peripheral neuropathy is a nerve disorder (often associated with diabetes) that can cause pain, tingling and/or and numbness in your hands and feet. The pain of peripheral neuropathy is often worse at night: the pressure of a day spent on your feet can cause them to feel a bit numb by the time you crawl into bed.

Morton’s Neuroma: Morton’s neuroma is a condition where tissue thickens around the nerves leading to your toes (it’s often a result of bones between the third and fourth toe pinching together and compressing your nerve. Ill-fitting footwear can contribute to this condition).

When you have a Morton’s neuroma, your nerve becomes painfully inflamed and enlarged. The pain is often worse at night because wearing shoes all day (especially the wring kind) increases the pressure on the tender nerve area.

While both of these painful conditions can make your sleep less-than-restful, don’t worry: relief is available. In my Houston podiatry office, we have successfully decreased or eliminated the pain of peripheral neuropathy through the use of non-invasive treatments like Neuremedy and MicroVas therapy. For those patients dealing with Morton’s Neuroma, we provide a range of treatments, from lifestyle changes and orthotics to shockwave therapy and several others in between. Surgery is sometimes necessary, but is never the first option introduced.

There is absolutely no reason why foot pain should steal one more night’s sleep. If you are up all night dealing with discomfort in your feet, toes or ankles, schedule an appointment with Dr. Andrew Schneider first thing in the morning!